This series of Animal Man comic books was met with a great deal of critical acclaim. MTV Geek said, "I don't want to oversell this, but if there is a better book put out by DC during the month of September, I will eat the other 51 comics. It's just that good." A.V. Club writer Oliver Sava wrote that the "first issue of Animal Man combines family drama, superhero action, and macabre horror into a cohesive story that is unique, yet still true to the history of Buddy Baker."